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ABCE1 / ATP-binding cassette sub-family E member 1 · IHC design guide
Design Immunohistochemistry for ABCE1
Plan ABCE1 paraffin-section IHC around general cytoplasmic staining, using high-staining colon glandular cells as a reference (HPA tissue IHC). This guide covers fixation consistency, antigen retrieval and chromogenic detection using the catalog antibody’s IHC conditions (datasheet A04173).
Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
ABCE1 Immunohistochemistry Experimental Design Guide
Expected localisation, validated protocols, controls and antibodies — the at-a-glance facts below, then the full design guide.
Must know before staining
| Expected localisation | Cytoplasmic tissue staining (HPA tissue IHC); mitochondrial location annotated (UniProt) | |
| Staining pattern | Cytoplasm in glandular, hematopoietic and neuronal cells (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Antigen retrieval | EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet A04173) | |
| Positive control | Appendix+4 more · see all | |
| Negative control | Skeletal muscle |
Important caveats
Reasons your staining may differ from the expected pattern.
| Fixation | Keep fixation consistent across sections (standard IHC practice; not target-specific); Matched tissue-IHC evidence does not establish the fixation claim. Validate the specimen-specific method before use. (selected-SKU IHC image A04173) | |
| Caveat | Broad cytoplasmic staining may limit cell-specific contrast (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Regulation | No expression regulation annotated (UniProt) | |
| Isoform / epitope | No annotated isoforms or cleavage; no extracellular domain (UniProt) |
Section 1
Recommended ABCE1 IHC & IF Protocols
The catalog antibody has a datasheet IHC-P protocol (datasheet A04173). Two published ABCE1 tissue protocols provide additional conditions (PMC6125957; PMC4148363).
| Sample | Paraffin-embedded mouse brain tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A04173) |
| Fixation | Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A04173); verify before use. |
| Sectioning | 4–5 µm sections on charged slides (standard) |
| Deparaffinisation | Xylene, graded ethanol series to water (standard) |
| Antigen retrieval | Heat retrieval: EDTA pH 8.0 (datasheet A04173); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard) |
| Peroxidase block | 3% H2O2, 10 min, room temperature (standard) |
| Blocking | 10% goat serum (datasheet A04173) |
| Primary antibody | Rabbit anti-ABCE1, 2-5 μg/ml (datasheet A04173) |
| Primary incubation | Overnight at 4 °C (datasheet A04173) |
| Detection | HRP-conjugated secondary, DAB chromogen (datasheet A04173) |
| Counterstain | Hematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard) |
| Expected result | ABCE1-positive staining in glandular cells of appendix (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA tissue profile: General cytoplasmic expression. No signal in the no-primary control. |
💡Decision noteStart with heat-mediated EDTA retrieval at pH 8.0 (datasheet A04173). If staining needs optimization, the published citrate method uses pH 6.0 (PMC6125957).
Section 2
What Is the Expected ABCE1 Staining Pattern?
ABCE1 should appear predominantly in the cytoplasm of many cell types, with strong IHC staining reported in glandular, hematopoietic and neuronal cells (HPA: general cytoplasmic expression; HPA: High in the listed cells). Cytosolic localisation is also supported by ICC-IF (HPA: Cytosol, enhanced). UniProt lists cytoplasm and mitochondrion and reports no transmembrane segment (UniProt P61221: subcellular location and topology). HPA rates the tissue IHC profile Approved, with medium consistency against RNA expression (HPA: reliability).
| Clear cytoplasmic staining in appendix, breast, colon or duodenal glandular cells. | This matches reported High staining in those cells (HPA: tissue IHC). Assess the cell type and compartment together; cytoplasmic colour alone is less informative when nearby cells also stain. |
| Predominantly nuclear, membranous or extracellular staining, with little cytoplasmic signal. | This departs from the reported general cytoplasmic pattern and cytosolic ICC-IF localisation (HPA: tissue IHC; HPA: subcellular). Treat the compartment mismatch as a possible staining artefact and check the controls before interpreting it as ABCE1. |
| Strong colour in skeletal muscle myocytes, especially if other expected cells are unstained. | Myocytes were not detected in the reported skeletal muscle IHC profile (HPA: tissue IHC). Unexpected staining can reflect cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity (general IHC practice); it does not by itself establish a new ABCE1 pattern. |
| Diffuse colour covers tissue and empty regions without distinct cellular boundaries. | That pattern cannot be assigned confidently to the reported cytoplasmic signal (HPA: tissue IHC). Background from nonspecific antibody binding or detection reagents is a general IHC possibility; compare the test slide with appropriate reagent controls (general IHC practice). |
| No signal in glandular cells of appendix or colon while counterstained tissue remains visible. | Those cells are reported as High in HPA tissue IHC, so absence of staining calls for a technical check (HPA: tissue IHC). HPA's Approved rating has only medium consistency with RNA data; a single negative section is not conclusive (HPA: reliability). |
💡Expected ABCE1 appearanceCall a result consistent with ABCE1 when the signal is chiefly cytoplasmic and strong in a reported positive cell type, such as colon glandular cells (HPA: general cytoplasmic expression; HPA: High in colon glandular cells); predominantly nuclear or structureless diffuse colour is suspect (HPA: subcellular; general IHC practice).
| Choice of tissue and cell type | HPA reports High staining in several glandular, hematopoietic and neuronal populations, Low staining in smooth muscle cells, fibroblasts and adipocytes, and not detected in skeletal muscle myocytes (HPA: tissue IHC). Score identified cells rather than treating an entire section as uniformly positive. |
| Strength of IHC evidence | The tissue profile is Approved but has medium consistency between antibody staining and RNA expression (HPA: reliability). CAB012476 is IHC Approved; HPA036846 has no listed IHC status (HPA: antibodies). Interpret an unexpected result with that validation limit in mind. |
| ABCE1 location and topology | UniProt lists cytoplasm and mitochondrion and no transmembrane segment (UniProt P61221: subcellular location; topology). HPA describes general cytoplasmic IHC staining (HPA: tissue IHC). These records support a cytoplasmic reading but do not establish a distinct mitochondrial IHC pattern. |
| What should IF/ICC show? | Expect cytosolic signal: HPA lists Cytosol as the enhanced main location and no additional location (HPA: subcellular ICC-IF). That observation supports the compartment call here; IF/ICC experimental setup belongs to its separate guide. |
| Situation | Likely cause | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| A reported positive section has no ABCE1 colour. | A staining or detection step may have failed (general IHC practice); HPA reports High staining in appendix and colon glandular cells (HPA: tissue IHC). | Check tissue identity, control staining and the catalog antibody's IHC-P instructions. Review retrieval, antibody incubation and detection steps as general IHC checks; no ABCE1-specific retrieval condition is established by the supplied sources. |
| Signal is weak in an adipocyte, fibroblast or smooth muscle cell. | Those cell types are listed as Low rather than High (HPA: tissue IHC). | Compare with a reported High cell population on a suitable section before increasing signal amplification. Record cell type and relative intensity so a biologically low result is not scored as assay failure. |
| Strong nuclear staining dominates an otherwise readable section. | Nuclear dominance conflicts with HPA's cytoplasmic IHC profile and cytosolic ICC-IF location (HPA: tissue IHC; HPA: subcellular). | Check localisation in a reported positive tissue and compare reagent controls. Reassess antibody dilution and detection background under general IHC practice before calling the nuclear colour ABCE1. |
| Muscle myocytes show strong staining. | HPA reports skeletal muscle myocytes as not detected (HPA: tissue IHC). Cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity is possible (general IHC practice). | Inspect the matched negative reagent control and confirm that the coloured structures are myocytes. Compare with a reported positive cell population before accepting this as an ABCE1 result. |
| Diffuse colour obscures cellular localisation. | Nonspecific binding or detection background can obscure a specific chromogenic signal (general IHC practice). | Review blocking, antibody dilution and wash conditions, and compare detection controls (general IHC practice). Score ABCE1 only where cell boundaries permit a cytoplasmic call (HPA: general cytoplasmic expression). |
| A negative section is being used to rule out ABCE1 across a tissue. | HPA levels refer to specified cell types; skeletal muscle myocytes are not detected, whereas several glandular and neuronal populations are High (HPA: tissue IHC). | Identify and score the relevant cell population. Use a reported High population as a positive comparator, and describe a negative result within the tested section and assay rather than extending it to all tissues. |
Experiment evidence
IHC & IF images showing ABCE1 staining
A04173 · IHCIHC analysis of ABCE1 using anti-ABCE1 antibody (A04173). ABCE1 was detected in a paraffin-embedded section of mouse brain tissue. Heat medi
A04173 · IHCIHC analysis of ABCE1 using anti-ABCE1 antibody (A04173). ABCE1 was detected in a paraffin-embedded section of rat brain tissue. Heat mediat
A04173 · IFIF analysis of ABCE1 using anti-ABCE1 antibody (A04173). ABCE1 was detected in an immunocytochemical section of HELA cells. Enzyme antigen r
PB10020 · IFIF analysis of ABCE1 using anti-ABCE1 antibody (PB10020). ABCE1 was detected in an immunocytochemical section of Hela cells. Enzyme antigen
HPA · Cerebral cortexHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Cerebral cortex. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000164163-ABCE1/tissue/cerebral+cortex#imid_3552540
HPA · ColonHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Colon. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000164163-ABCE1/tissue/colon#imid_3552466
HPA · LiverHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Liver. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000164163-ABCE1/tissue/liver#imid_3552475
HPA · KidneyHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Kidney. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000164163-ABCE1/tissue/kidney#imid_3552484
HPA · ICC-IF A-431Human Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, A-431, antibody HPA036846; green = ABCE1, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
HPA · ICC-IF A-431Human Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, A-431, antibody HPA036846; green = ABCE1, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
← swipe / scroll for more images →
Real IHC / IF data behind the staining-pattern expectations in this section.
Sample controls for ABCE1 IHC & IF
🧪Run cerebellum first and expect Purkinje cells to stain (HPA: High in cerebellar Purkinje cells); use skeletal muscle myocytes as the negative tissue (HPA: Not detected in skeletal muscle myocytes). No cell population on the cerebellar slide is established as an internal biological negative by the supplied evidence; cell-free areas should show only background.
Positive control tissue: Appendix (Glandular cells, HPA High)
Negative control tissue: Skeletal muscle (HPA Not detected)
ICC-IF cell lines (HPA subcellular resource): HPA ICC-IF images show ABCE1 in A-431, U-251MG, U2OS, HEK293, U2OS, siRNA 2 (10x), U2OS, scrambled (10x), U2OS, siRNA 1 (10x), with annotated localisation: Cytosol (enhanced) (HPA subcellular).
Technical controls: Include a no-primary, secondary-only control, an isotype-matched rabbit IgG control, and ABCE1-knockout tissue as a biological negative (selected-SKU caption: rabbit primary antibody; standard IHC controls). For chromogenic detection, quench endogenous peroxidase and assess background in the cerebellar section before interpreting DAB staining (selected-SKU caption: peroxidase secondary and DAB detection; standard IHC practice).
⚠️Feasibility: A target-specific fixation window or fixation effect is unreported, and the selected-SKU tissue-IHC caption does not state the fixative (selected-SKU caption: fixative unreported). That caption uses heat-mediated EDTA retrieval at pH 8.0, but does not establish that retrieval is required or that frozen sections are easier (selected-SKU caption: EDTA retrieval). HPA reports enhanced cytosolic ICC-IF localization, but the supplied evidence does not establish IF as easier than paraffin IHC; assess brain-tissue autofluorescence if using IF (HPA: Cytosol, enhanced; standard IF practice).
HPA tissue IHC evidence for ABCE1
Comprehensive Human Protein Atlas IHC scoring per tissue (reliability: Approved — Medium consistency between antibody staining and RNA expression data.). Rows are taken directly from the HPA tissue chart — click any row's HPA link to view the source.
Positive expression · recommended positive controls
| Tissue | Cell type | Level | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appendix | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Bone marrow | Hematopoietic cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Breast | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Cerebellum | Purkinje cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Cerebral cortex | Neuronal cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
Undetected expression · recommended negative controls
| Tissue | Cell type | Level | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skeletal muscle | Myocytes | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
Section 3
Advanced ABCE1 IHC Tips
Troubleshoot ABCE1 staining in paraffin sections by checking retrieval, cytoplasmic localisation, controls and cell based scoring before interpreting differences.
How should I optimise antigen retrieval when ABCE1 staining is weak?
Start with heat mediated retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0 for paraffin sections (datasheet A04173). The selected image used this retrieval before staining mouse brain with 2 μg/ml catalog antibody overnight at 4°C (datasheet A04173). If staining remains weak, compare a modest change in heating time on adjacent sections while keeping detection conditions constant (standard IHC practice). Include a section processed without primary antibody to assess staining introduced by the detection reagents (standard IHC practice). Record retrieval time and section integrity, because excessive heating can damage morphology and complicate cell level interpretation (standard IHC practice).
Could fixation explain inconsistent ABCE1 staining between paraffin samples?
The selected paraffin section caption does not report its fixative, so target specific fixation sensitivity cannot be established from that image (datasheet A04173). Record each sample’s fixative, fixation duration and tissue processing history before comparing ABCE1 staining (standard IHC practice). If a batch differs, stain matched sections together using EDTA at pH 8.0 and the same antibody concentration (datasheet A04173; standard IHC practice). Compare morphology and cytoplasmic signal in the same cell population, since uneven processing can confound staining intensity (standard IHC practice). Do not infer a preferred fixation condition from ABCE1’s localisation or modified residues (UniProt P61221; datasheet A04173: fixative unreported).
What ABCE1 staining pattern should I expect in paraffin sections?
Expect predominantly cytoplasmic staining when assessing ABCE1 in tissue sections (HPA tissue IHC: general cytoplasmic expression). HPA localises ABCE1 to the cytosol by ICC/IF, while UniProt also lists a mitochondrial location (HPA subcellular; UniProt P61221). ABCE1 has no transmembrane segment, so a crisp plasma membrane outline alone would warrant a specificity check (UniProt P61221 topology). Use the counterstain to distinguish cytoplasm from overlapping nuclei and compare like cell types on adjacent sections (standard IHC practice). For orientation, HPA reports high staining in cerebral cortex neuronal cells and cerebellar Purkinje cells (HPA tissue IHC).
How can epitope accessibility affect ABCE1 IHC interpretation?
The supplied record lists one ABCE1 chain spanning residues 1–599 and no annotated isoforms (UniProt P61221). Its two iron sulfur domains and two ABC transporter domains provide structural context, but the catalog antibody’s epitope is unspecified here (UniProt P61221; datasheet A04173). Phosphorylation is recorded at residues 417 and 550; no evidence supplied shows that either modification alters IHC binding (UniProt P61221). If staining differs across processing batches, repeat EDTA retrieval at pH 8.0 under matched conditions before assigning a biological cause (datasheet A04173; standard IHC practice). Treat a newly restricted staining pattern cautiously until antibody specificity and tissue morphology have been checked (standard IHC practice).
How should I investigate an ABCE1 IHC pattern with immunofluorescence?
Use IF as a complementary localisation check for the cytoplasmic pattern seen by IHC (HPA tissue IHC; standard IF practice). In a multiplex assay, pair ABCE1 with a validated marker for the expected cell population, such as neuronal cells in cerebral cortex (HPA tissue IHC; standard IF practice). Select a fluorophore away from strong tissue autofluorescence and include single stain controls before interpreting overlap (standard IF practice). Because ABCE1 is cytosolic and lacks a transmembrane segment, permeabilise the plasma membrane to access a cytosolic epitope after fixation (HPA subcellular; UniProt P61221 topology; standard IF practice). Compare compartment and cell identity with the chromogenic section (standard IHC/IF practice).
How can I reduce diffuse or patchy ABCE1 chromogenic background?
The selected paraffin section was blocked with 10% goat serum and developed with peroxidase detection and DAB (datasheet A04173). Include a primary antibody omission control, and use an endogenous peroxidase block before HRP detection as a general chromogenic workflow step (standard IHC practice). If diffuse staining persists, optimise primary antibody concentration around the documented 2 μg/ml condition on matched sections (datasheet A04173; standard IHC practice). Check whether patchiness follows folds, section edges or poorly preserved areas before calling it ABCE1 expression (standard IHC practice). Interpret any remaining signal against the expected general cytoplasmic profile (HPA tissue IHC).
How should I score ABCE1 staining across tissue samples? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Define the cell population and region before scoring, because HPA reports different ABCE1 levels among tissue cell types (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC practice). For chromogenic sections, report an H-score from staining intensity and percentage of positive cells, or report percentage positive alone (standard IHC practice). For spatial questions, count positive cells per mm² of viable tissue and state the region sampled (standard IHC practice). Normalise cell counts to viable tissue area, and compare intensity scores within the same cell type under matched staining conditions (standard IHC practice). Exclude folds and necrotic regions using the counterstain and morphology (standard IHC practice).
When is ABCE1 staining likely to represent artefact?
A credible ABCE1 result should fit a predominantly cytoplasmic pattern and the cell type being assessed (HPA tissue IHC; HPA subcellular). HPA reports high staining in cerebral cortex neuronal cells but no detected staining in skeletal muscle myocytes, providing context for those specific populations (HPA tissue IHC). A membrane only outline or signal confined to section edges should prompt review of specificity and processing (UniProt P61221 topology; standard IHC practice). Avoid scoring necrotic areas, and check a primary antibody omission control for endogenous enzyme or detection background (standard IHC practice). HPA labels its tissue staining Approved with medium RNA concordance, so resolve unexpected patterns with additional controls (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC practice).
Boster reagents
Best ABCE1 / ATP-binding cassette sub-family E member 1 IHC Antibodies
ABCE1 images show paraffin-section IHC in mouse and rat brain and human testis (A04173 IHC captions), plus IF/ICC in HeLa cells (A04173 and PB10020 IF captions).
Real IHC data
Anti-ABCE1 Antibody ®
Cat # A04173
Real IF data
Anti-ABCE1 Antibody ®
Cat # PB10020
A04173 will render with a mouse brain paraffin-section IHC figure; its other IHC captions show rat brain and human testis (A04173 IHC captions). PB10020 will render with an IF/ICC figure from HeLa cells (PB10020 IF caption).
Which to pick: Choose A04173 for tissue IHC: its captions document paraffin sections with EDTA retrieval at pH 8.0, while the fixative is unreported (A04173 IHC captions). Choose PB10020 for IF/ICC when an IF figure is the priority; its HeLa-cell caption documents that application, and its application list does not include IHC (PB10020 IF caption; PB10020 applications). For work across species, A04173 lists human, mouse and rat reactivity and has IHC captions for all three; PB10020 lists the same reactivity but has only a human-cell IF figure (A04173 and PB10020 catalog reactivity; A04173 IHC captions; PB10020 IF caption).
Each figure is that product's own IHC / IF validation image from its datasheet.
References
- UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry P61221 (ABCE1_HUMAN, ATP-binding cassette sub-family E member 1).
- Human Protein Atlas. ABCE1 tissue IHC expression (reliability: Approved).
- Human Protein Atlas. ABCE1 subcellular location (ICC-IF): Localized to the cytosol..
- Human Protein Atlas. ABCE1 antibody validation summary (2 antibodies).
- The expression and correlation between chemokine CCL7 and ABCE1 in non-small cell lung cancer. Experimental and therapeutic medicine 2018 — PMC6125957.
- siRNA‑induced ABCE1 silencing inhibits proliferation and invasion of breast cancer cells. Molecular medicine reports 2014 — PMC4148363.
- ABCE1 facilitates tumour progression via aerobic glycolysis and inhibits cell death in human colorectal cancer cells through the p53 signalling pathway. Scientific reports 2025 — PMC12241330.
- PubMed PMID:7539425 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:8641422 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:15489334 — UniProt-cited evidence.
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for ABCE1 (ATP-binding cassette sub-family E member 1). Expected localisation Cytoplasmic tissue staining (HPA tissue IHC); mitochondrial location annotated (UniProt). Antigen retrieval: EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet A04173). Validated IHC antibody: A04173 at 2-5 μg/ml (the product's own IHC validation image is shown). Controls (HPA): positive Appendix (Glandular cells); negative Skeletal muscle. IHC-P workflow on paraffin sections; fixative unspecified. Protocol steps: 1. Sample: Paraffin-embedded mouse brain tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A04173); 2. Fixation: Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A04173); verify before use.; 3. Sectioning: 4–5 µm sections on charged slides (standard); 4. Deparaffinisation: Xylene, graded ethanol series to water (standard); 5. Antigen retrieval: Heat retrieval: EDTA pH 8.0 (datasheet A04173); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard); 6. Peroxidase block: 3% H2O2, 10 min , room temperature (standard); 7. Blocking: 10% goat serum (datasheet A04173); 8. Primary antibody: Rabbit anti-ABCE1, 2-5 μg/ml (datasheet A04173); 9. Primary incubation: Overnight at 4 °C (datasheet A04173). Watch for: Fixation: Keep fixation consistent across sections (standard IHC practice; not target-specific); Matched tissue-IHC evidence does not establish the fixation claim. Validate the specimen-specific method before use. (selected-SKU IHC image A04173); Caveat: Broad cytoplasmic staining may limit cell-specific contrast (HPA tissue IHC); Isoform / epitope: No annotated isoforms or cleavage; no extracellular domain (UniProt); Regulation: No expression regulation annotated (UniProt). Evidence: UniProt P61221, HPA tissue IHC · Approved, HPA ICC-IF · cytosol., Datasheet A04173, PMC6125957, PMC4148363. QR code links to https://www.bosterbio.com/bosterbio-gene-info-cards/ABCE1/immunohistochemistry-ihc-guide.